The Fish
by Destiny Lockheart
Summary: SxS Seishirou has a special pet that continues to haunt him.


The Fish

Rating: PG – at the moment

Anime: X/1999 and Tokyo Babylon

Pairings: Seishirou/Subaru

Note: To prove to myself I can write something other than Yu-Gi-Oh. Story inspired by the picture found at http/sakurazukamori. . Though it originally amused me to no end, I eventually got to wondering what I could do to make this line seem plausible and turn it from something humorous to something dramatic. Please be kind.

Disclaimer: I own neither X nor Tokyo Babylon. They and all the characters within belong to CLAMP. The picture and plot bunny belongs to whoever came up with the above picture and as such, this ficlet is dedicated to them.

Insert a bunch of randomly floating feathers and this reads just like a flashback episode of X.

The tree had been fed and another day's work was finished. Now to complete the day, all he had to do was feed the fish. It was quite the ordinary fish; just like any other fish in the world. Still, this fish was different. This fish was very special.

For one thing, this fish had survived for seven years under the care of the Sakurazukamori. Of course, if he could properly take care of a tree, he supposed taking care of a fish was simple in comparison. Even if he had neglected to feed it on occasion. That had all been shortly after he got the fish. Now he always remembered to take care of it; in some ways it was just like remembering to feed the tree.

He feed the fish and pulled out his pack of cigarettes as he walked away. The fish stared after him, the same way it had looked at him on that very first day.

_"Subaru, were you planning on standing Sei-chan up again?" Hokuto scolded her brother as he attempted to sneak into his own apartment. _

_Seishirou__ merely watched as Hokuto tackled her brother. She continued to lecture him on how important it was for him to develop a relationship with said Sei-chan, while Subaru blushed and apologized to both of them profusely for making them wait._

_Instead of commenting on how cute he looked when he blushed and embarrassing the boy further, Seishirou remarked on what Subaru was carrying instead. "Subaru-kun, where did you get the fish?"_

_Hokuto__ released her arms from around her brother's neck to take a closer look at the container. "How cute!"_

_The fish stared at Seishirou, flapping its wings happily. "Oh, this? A petshop owner gave it to me in thanks."_

Seishirou could not remember Subaru getting a job for a petstore. Perhaps out of the goodness of his heart Subaru just decided to help. Then he had received the fish in payment since the store owner had not been expecting his help. Seishirou had never really asked for specific details on why he had been given the fish. It had never seemed really important to him.

The fish nibbled on its food. Seishirou lit one of his cigarettes and sat down, leaning back in the chair. From where he was sitting, he had a perfect view of the fishbowl. He had never really pictured himself as a pet owner really. The animals he had sustained at the clinic had been vaguely irritating. Besides, a tree was bad enough.

_"Subaru, what are you going to do with a fish?" Hokuto asked as Subaru placed the container down. Seishirou had been wondering the same thing himself. Though he knew Subaru loved animals, he also knew Subaru had a reputation of not taking care of himself._

_"I don't know," he admitted, staring intently at the small animal. For a moment, his jade eyes met Seishirou's. Seishirou smiled at him and he resorted back to his state of blushing._

_Then Hokuto had an epiphany._

_"I know! Why don't you let Sei-chan take care of it?" He wanted to protest, he really didn't need anything else at the moment; however, Subaru seemed about ready to latch onto the idea. "It will be so romantic. It will be the first thing the heir to the Sakurazukamori clan and the 13th head of the Sumeragi clan will share in their many years of wedded bliss!"_

_Subaru promptly fell to the ground._

Damn her, he mused through the haze of smoke. If only the fish incident would have ended there.

_"Of course!__ I would be willing to do anything for my beloved Subaru-kun!" This year, he added to himself. He figured once the year was over he could just let the fish die._

_Subaru, who had almost finished standing, fell back over._

Seishirou watched with a cynical eye as the fish lowered itself to the bottom of the bowl. The things he had allowed himself to be talked into. Which in turn took a very long time to culminate into a desired outcome.

_"Seriously, Seishirou-san, do you think you could take care of the fish for me?" Subaru asked with a pleading look in his beautiful eyes. _

_He smiled good-naturedly. "Naturally. It is my job to take care of animals." Inside he was cursing Subaru for taking such a keen interest in animals._

_Hokuto__ clapped her hands together. "Great, now that that's settled, let's eat! Sei-chan and I are starving, and you look like you haven't eaten for days." The last part was directed at Subaru who flushed. "Sei-chan, you better take good care of him in the future."_

_Seishirou__ laughed and put his arm around the boy's shoulders, causing him to turn a few shades darker. "Never fear, Hokuto. I would never let my darling Subaru-kun die of starvation." That part at least was true. Subaru was destined to die by his hand and his hand alone. He would be the last one to touch that beautiful body._

_"Sei-seishirou-san!"__ Subaru somehow managed to crawl out from under his arm. Trapped between him and his sister, Subaru looked unsure as to which one he wanted to be standing closer to at the moment._

Even then, he had taken every opportunity he could to touch Subaru. It was an obsession that had persisted for seven years. After all, Subaru was the most beautiful man in Japan, and he belonged entirely to Seishirou. No one else was permitted to touch him. Seishirou made sure everyone knew the Sumeragi was taken and by a man they would sooner not get involved with. Even if 'Kamui' did try to challenge that theory.

The fax machine whirled as it received an incoming message. Seishirou ignored it for the time being; it was probably a job order from the government or 'Kamui.' Either way, he was not too willing to go back out at the moment.

The fish rested lazily at the bottom of the bowl. The moonlight played off its scales, making them shine silver. The silver beams danced through the water, just like they had on that night seven years ago.

_Subaru had been supposed to come over to Seishirou's apartment for dinner after work. As usual, work had run extremely late, and Subaru spent the first five minutes in Seishirou's apartment apologizing for being late and attempting to insist he should just go back to his own apartment. Seishirou, of course, could never allow that. _

_He ushered Subaru inside, fed him some dinner, and through some miraculous twist of fate had actually got the teen into his bedroom. Actually, Subaru had inquired after the fish, though Seishirou liked to think it was solely his charms alone that got Subaru into his bedroom._

_Subaru investigated the fish while Seishirou sat down on his bed. Subaru leaned closer to the bowl; Seishirou simply enjoyed the view he was getting. "He certainly looks happy to be with you. I wonder what he would say about you." Seishirou decided Subaru would be highly embarrassed by some of the things that fish heard and saw. "Have you given him a name yet?"_

_He was supposed to name a fish? However, Seishirou recognized a golden opportunity when one was presented so perfectly to him. "I was thinking about naming him Subaru."_

_"Seishirou-san!"__ Subaru's face was bright pink as he spun around._

_Seishirou__ chuckled and indicated with his hand that Subaru should come and sit next to him. "Why don't you name him for me?" All thoughts about the fish dissipated because Subaru was so concerned about the creature he actually came over and sat down next to him. Why hadn't anyone told him sooner that to get Subaru to bed under normal circumstances all he had to do was get a pet? He would have just brought home one of those animals from the clinic. _

_"I couldn't. He is your fish after all."_

_Seishirou__ chuckled as his slid his arm around Subaru's shoulders. "According to Hokuto-chan, he's our fish, remember?"_

_"Seishirou-san!"_

He put out the cigarette before going to the fax machine to see what the latest orders were. Thoughts about Subaru were becoming far too distracting lately. Of course if that damn fish had not been witness to so much…

Just as he had suspected, the message was from 'Kamui' asking him to carry out a very important mission.

_After that day, the day Subaru had gotten away from him, he had planned on getting rid of the fish as well. For a few days, he neglected it, not feeding it, not paying any attention to it. He figured a slow, painful death would be appropriate for it._

_By the third day, he started talking to it about work, weather, the fate of the world, but never once about Subaru. Even if it was the boy's fault he was stuck with the fish, he would never speak his name around it. Even if the fish was a powerful, constant reminder of that night. He would never speak of Subaru again. That was done with._

_On the fifth day, he caved again and gave it some food. The fish made a nonjudgmental conversationalist, and it would be a pity to lose that. The fish did not even flinch when he talked to it about work, and certainly would never cringe at the mention of Hokuto._

_By the sixth day he had given the fish a name._

He said farewell to the fish, put his trenchcoat on, and headed to Rainbow Bridge.

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